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Behind the Scenes: MH 2012 Cover Shoots

Jan 4, 2013

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What you see on our covers every month is pretty straightforward: a cool guy in jeans and a T-shirt shot against a white background. But months of advance prep are in the works long before we take that shot. A pre-interview allows us to discover what our cover subjects enjoy doing and how they stay fit.

For instance, we learned that when he’s not on court with the L.A. Clippers, Blake Griffin loves to surf. Armed with that information, our creative team finds a suitable location that will work for the story. For Blake, it was a beach-front residence in Malibu. Kenny Chesney finds solace from touring at his gorgeous Spanish-style villa in Nashville. Jamie Foxx is a daredevil who loves riding motorcycles. The last piece of the puzzle: the style team pulls together clothing for the shoot that best represents the guy and the setting. Here are a few of our behind-the-scenes moments from 2012.

Country & Western music phenomenon Kenny Chesney was our cover guy for the June issue, which meant our crew got to visit Nashville, where the singer chills out when he’s not touring. His impressive Spanish-style villa is set on acres of land, complete with a small lake, where Kenny and his dog Poncho enjoy hanging out on the dock.

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Kenny Chesney

Chesney is probably one of the more down to earth guys you’ll ever want to meet. When our crew arrived, he answered his own door, barefoot – and his attitude was just as relaxed the rest of the day. Chesney grilled steaks and veggies for some photos we used in the shoot — then invited us to eat them with him. We all sat around his kitchen eating steaks as he poured a nice bottle of red wine. Here he is goofing around with Men’s Health Creative Director Robert Festino and Photo Director Jeanne Graves.

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Ryan Lochte

Ryan Lochte fronted our July/August 2012 Olympics-themed issue. We caught up with him six months before the London Games in Gainesville, Florida, where he lives and trains.

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Ryan Lochte

Lochte and Men’s Health Fashion Director Brian Boye.

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Ryan Lochte

Photographer Peter Yang with Lochte, who trained for 4 hours before the morning shoot. This photo took an hour, so we gave him a ladder in the pool to stand on.

Andrew Lincoln unleashes the fire extinguisher in a gritty part of Atlanta while photographer Ture Lillegraven and digital tech James Weir capture it.

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Andrew Lincoln

A couple of guys were sitting in this Atlanta gas station charging the battery to their car — a Lincoln, no doubt — battery. The Walking Dead star jumped in for a shot that landed in the issue.

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Andrew Lincoln

Lillegraven snaps our risk-taking October cover guy as he takes to the tracks. And yes, that’s a tank of gasoline.

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Jamie Foxx

For our December 2012 cover, we photographed Jamie Foxx in beautiful (and chilly) Montreal, where Foxx was filming his latest movie. Here, photographer Ture Lillegraven and the rest of the crew lay low while Foxx takes a Moto Guzzi V7 Racer motorcycle for a spin.

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Jamie Foxx

As if Foxx needed any help looking cool, the classic Ray Bans and leather moto jacket by Dolce & Gabbana played well in the industrial backdrop.

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Jamie Foxx

Fashion isn’t always glamorous. Still, Foxx’s personal stylist, Tasha Boué, manages to look lovely and she tries to stay warm and keep all of his leather jacket options in order. That’s no easy feat when your photo shoot is outside, under a deserted bridge.

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Jamie Foxx

After a long day, Foxx and Lillegraven wrap up the shoot with some playful mugging for the camera.

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